George Russell said he didn’t have the same complaints as his rivals about the last era of F1 cars because Max Verstappen was “winning”, but admitted the four-time world champion would “understand” leaving the sport.
Verstappen’s future beyond this season is currently uncertain, with the Red Bull driver vocally criticizing the new regulations for 2026 and the impact of the 50/50 split between combustion engines and electricity on his driving.
The Dutchman dropped his strongest hint yet that he is considering retiring this year after his final race in Japan last month.
During Mercedes’ media session during the five-week hiatus before F1 restarts in Miami on May 1-3, Russell was asked whether he thought Verstappen was likely to leave and how F1 would react if he did.
“F1 is bigger than any driver,” Russell replied. “We all enjoy racing with Max, so you don’t want to lose him.
“That’s just part of F1. When the ’22 car was going wild up and down and killing everyone on their backs, I wasn’t having fun driving that car. It was big, heavy, fast corners and not very comfortable to drive, but he was winning so I didn’t have the same complaints.”
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Sky Sports’ Craig Slater talks about whether we could see Verstappen quit F1 amid regulatory concerns
“By the way, the frustration he has now is different from the frustration of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren because we are at the front of the grid. This is natural and you understand and recognize the frustration.”
“But he achieved what most drivers dream of, winning a championship. He has four of them. I think at the end of the day you reach a certain point in your life… There’s not that much for him to achieve in F1. He ticks all the boxes so he can probably chase the record.”
Russell, who is eyeing a first drivers’ title this year as Mercedes takes a head start on a new era in F1, said he “totally understands” why Verstappen is already competing in GT3 endurance racing at Germany’s legendary Nordschleife, despite having already had so much success in F1. He will return this weekend for more races.
“Knowing him like I do, knowing drivers who have won and drivers who have achieved similar things, you just want to do something that brings a smile to your face at least once,” Russell added.
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Watch highlights of Verstappen’s NLS2 race at the Nurburgring
“It’s easy to see why driving the Nordschleife puts a smile on his face. I’ve driven hundreds of laps around the Nordschleife in the simulator and would love to drive it if I had the chance.”
“But my goal now is to become F1 world champion. If I had won four championships, I would probably be doing the same thing. He is at a very different stage in his career.”
“If he stays, I understand, and I think I understand if he leaves.”
Verstappen said after the Suzuka race that while it was “easy to accept being seventh or eighth like I am,” “it doesn’t feel natural for a racing driver to be seventh or eighth and not enjoy the whole formula behind it.”
‘Other teams will come after us’ – Russell prepares for rivals to attack Mercedes
While Red Bull look unlikely to enter the championship race this year, Mercedes strengthened their position as pre-season title contenders by winning the opening three grands prix of the season at the start of F1’s new regulation era.
A forced break in April has since allowed all teams to return to the factory to work on their cars. Russell, who lost leadership of the driver’s title race in Japan to teammate Kimi Antonelli, does not expect a major change in the standings upon his return to F1 in Miami, but is aware that Mercedes’ clear early-season advantage will not last “indefinitely” with 19 races remaining.
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Russell says he’s excited to take on Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli when the season resumes in Miami
Reflecting on the opening race, in which he won once and Antonelli won twice, Russell said: “We definitely got off to a good start in the first three races and really realized that all the power unit manufacturers, at least us and Ferrari, we as a factory team understand energy management better than the customer teams.”
“That makes sense, because we have hundreds of people working on it and we’ve been working on simulators for this for three years.
“Obviously, the big differences we saw in Melbourne have closed and everyone will continue to understand each race better.
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Russell said Mercedes had ideas about where it fell short at the start of the race and would try to improve this during the forced break in April.
“Gradually the team will solidify, but I don’t think we’ll suddenly see drastic changes. But I don’t think our big pace advantage will last forever. Other teams will be hot on our heels.”
In the drivers’ championship, Antonelli led Russell by nine points, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third place, 23 points behind.
F1 will resume with the second sprint weekend of the season, the Miami Grand Prix, from May 1-3, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports now – cancel anytime with no contract
